I have two criticisms of this movie, one is that the animation sometimes is a little flat, and the second is that Sophie and the Queen while well voiced by Amanda Root and Angela Thorne are more interesting in the book(which I loved as a kid). The best aspect was the wonderful voice work of David Jason, one of the most talented British actors alive today. His BFG is somewhat charming, but especially in the whizzpopping scene where he is hilarious, and his grammatical errors are a delight to hear, as some of them are very silly. The child-eating giants like the Fleshlumpeater and the Bloodbottler were very well done, and I also really liked the music. Sure it isn't Oscar-worthy material, but it is still a pleasure to listen to. I do prefer the book, but this adaptation, while not perfect, is not bad at all. 8/10. Bethany Cox.
20 Reviews
Great for kids... but I enjoyed it too
kevon45uk25 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this with my little nephews last night. Judging by their reactions the six year old loved it but the four year old was not too sure. We thought it was great. The animation is pretty simple for this day and age but far better than a lot of TV stuff. The story was fun and the boys didn't seem to mind that the central character, Sophie, was a girl. I think we all got a bit bored in the last third with the whole queen bit but the Army and RAF going in with helicopters and the like pepped things up. It was nice to see a more restrained operation by the military rather than the guns blazing treatment. Dahl knew that himself so it was good that the film stuck to that. As the only adult I wanted the film to carry on the sinister aspect it started out with. All three of us agreed that the human eating giants were a lot of fun, though.
All in all a good little film for little boys and girls. And grown-ups can enjoy it too. But when you have Roald Dahl as the writer that generally is the way.
All in all a good little film for little boys and girls. And grown-ups can enjoy it too. But when you have Roald Dahl as the writer that generally is the way.
Crudely animated, but endearing
Leofwine_draca25 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
THE BFG is the first adaptation of the famous Roald Dahl novel of 1982. It's a straight animated version of the story that was originally shown at Christmas on TV when first released. Comparisons will obviously made with the big budget live action version recently released to cinemas, and I think both versions are of a comparable quality.
Obviously, this one is much cruder in terms of animation, and made on a fraction of Spielberg's budget. However, it's just as warm-hearted if not more so, and it seems to capture Dahl's essence in a more convincing way; there are no tacked-on action bits as in the Hollywood version. David Jason is a more endearing protagonist than Mark Rylance, too. The rest is fun, a bit childish in places, but good for Dahl fans.
Obviously, this one is much cruder in terms of animation, and made on a fraction of Spielberg's budget. However, it's just as warm-hearted if not more so, and it seems to capture Dahl's essence in a more convincing way; there are no tacked-on action bits as in the Hollywood version. David Jason is a more endearing protagonist than Mark Rylance, too. The rest is fun, a bit childish in places, but good for Dahl fans.
Decent, but doesn't live up to the book
xxlittlekittenxx9 February 2003
I had just finished reading the original Roald Dahl novel (which I thought was brilliant), and at the video store I found the DVD of an animated version. Curious to see if it would be as good as the book, I checked it out.
I can't say I wasn't a little let down with it. The animation bothered me a little in some scenes (jerkiness, etc.), though in general it wasn't too bad (I really liked some of the backgrounds). And it could have done without the songs, which really got on my nerves. Thankfully there's only two, so it could have been worse.
I thought the BFG was very much in character, but the Queen and Sophie were a bit more interesting in the book. The evil Giants also had a lot more to them in the book, and were even more sinister, yet a bit funny too. That was lacking in the cartoon adaption.
All in all, not a terrible cartoon, just not very good. I very highly recommend the book, and once you've read it, you might want to check out this cartoon, but you may be let down (or you may not. No one has the same tastes). I just feel something's missing here.
I can't say I wasn't a little let down with it. The animation bothered me a little in some scenes (jerkiness, etc.), though in general it wasn't too bad (I really liked some of the backgrounds). And it could have done without the songs, which really got on my nerves. Thankfully there's only two, so it could have been worse.
I thought the BFG was very much in character, but the Queen and Sophie were a bit more interesting in the book. The evil Giants also had a lot more to them in the book, and were even more sinister, yet a bit funny too. That was lacking in the cartoon adaption.
All in all, not a terrible cartoon, just not very good. I very highly recommend the book, and once you've read it, you might want to check out this cartoon, but you may be let down (or you may not. No one has the same tastes). I just feel something's missing here.
A little disappointing compared to the book, with primitive animation for its time, but I still think it deserves some credit
Beta_Gallinger25 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This cartoon adaptation of one of Roald Dahl's children's novels was released when I was only three years old, seven years after the book was published and the year before the author's death at the age of 74. I first saw this film in the early 90's, probably when I was around six or seven years old, and remember seeing it a good number of times. When I first watched this adaptation of "The BFG", I was totally unfamiliar with the book, but remember some of it being read to me around 1993 or '94. I started reading it myself during the late 90's, but didn't get very far. I never got through the entire book until this month, and then I watched this 1989 film for the first time in maybe more than fifteen years, this time on DVD, a format which had probably not yet been introduced when I last saw the film. It certainly wasn't the same as it used to be for me, but it still wasn't bad.
Sophie is an orphaned child who lives in a cruel orphanage in England. One time, she is awake late at night, and looks out her window. She sees a mysterious giant outside, blowing something into another window on the street! After the giant sees her, she is abducted and taken far away to a cave in Giant Country! At first, the girl thinks she is going to be eaten, but luckily, it turns out this giant is the Big Friendly Giant, or BFG, the only giant who doesn't eat humans. While the other giants, all much bigger than him, go out at night to find humans to eat in different countries, he goes out to blow dreams into children's bedrooms. The reason why he abducted Sophie was because she saw him, and didn't want her telling others about him, or he could end up in a zoo. So, it appears she will have to stay with him for the rest of her life. Since the BFG refuses to eat people and steal food, he has no choice but to live off a repulsive vegetable called the snozzcumber, the only thing that grows in Giant Country. Now that Sophie is here, it's also all she has to eat, though she does get a tasty drink called frobscottle, which causes major flatulence. Disgusted by the way the other giants eat humans, the human girl in their land is determined to find a way to stop them once and for all, but first, she will have to think how this could possibly be done!
I never noticed this as a kid, but one flaw that stands out here is the animation. The backgrounds often seem like still paintings used as a backdrop for the two-dimensional drawn figures in the foreground, and these two elements do not go well together. During shots of landscapes in the film, it sometimes seems like a camera moving around a painting for a documentary about the person who painted it. Animation has become significantly more advanced in the past couple decades, but even for 1989 and probably long before then, it's pretty primitive here. Mind you, there are some nice backgrounds, such as the Dream Country one and the BFG's dream cave with all the colourful lights, and music that really fits these scenes. This intrigued me in a unique way as a kid, and I guess it still did during my most recent viewing to a certain extent. The voice acting is good for the most part (even if it's not great), and the BFG is a likable character, with David Jason providing a voice that fits him. The screenplay may seem a little rushed at first, but overall, it's an entertaining and sometimes exciting adventure. There's even a song about frobscottle and the flatulence it causes, and while this part is a little juvenile, I can't deny that the "Whizzpopping" song is catchy. There's another song in the film called "Sometimes, Secretly" featured in the flying scene in Dream Country. I felt that the movie could have done without this song. It's like a radio-friendly pop ballad, and as such, it seemed out of place to me, but fortunately, that's just one part of the film.
This piece of animation certainly isn't the most famous Roald Dahl adaptation, and it seems to be a polarizing one. It's fairly faithful to the book for the most part, but some parts are obviously left out, and some liberties are taken, especially with the ending. It has clearly disappointed some fans of the children's novel, and that often happens with film adaptations of books. However, even though I now think this adaptation of "The BFG" is inferior to the book it's based on, after reading it and watching this again (I know many people would agree), and it could have been better in more than one way, I certainly don't think the film is an insult to Dahl and his novel. Some viewers obviously wouldn't like this animated movie at all (I think it's more fun for kids than adults, judging by my latest viewing compared to the previous times I watched it, all over a decade earlier), and it might not help if they've read the book first, but even if that's the case, this adaptation still COULD be at least somewhat fun.
Sophie is an orphaned child who lives in a cruel orphanage in England. One time, she is awake late at night, and looks out her window. She sees a mysterious giant outside, blowing something into another window on the street! After the giant sees her, she is abducted and taken far away to a cave in Giant Country! At first, the girl thinks she is going to be eaten, but luckily, it turns out this giant is the Big Friendly Giant, or BFG, the only giant who doesn't eat humans. While the other giants, all much bigger than him, go out at night to find humans to eat in different countries, he goes out to blow dreams into children's bedrooms. The reason why he abducted Sophie was because she saw him, and didn't want her telling others about him, or he could end up in a zoo. So, it appears she will have to stay with him for the rest of her life. Since the BFG refuses to eat people and steal food, he has no choice but to live off a repulsive vegetable called the snozzcumber, the only thing that grows in Giant Country. Now that Sophie is here, it's also all she has to eat, though she does get a tasty drink called frobscottle, which causes major flatulence. Disgusted by the way the other giants eat humans, the human girl in their land is determined to find a way to stop them once and for all, but first, she will have to think how this could possibly be done!
I never noticed this as a kid, but one flaw that stands out here is the animation. The backgrounds often seem like still paintings used as a backdrop for the two-dimensional drawn figures in the foreground, and these two elements do not go well together. During shots of landscapes in the film, it sometimes seems like a camera moving around a painting for a documentary about the person who painted it. Animation has become significantly more advanced in the past couple decades, but even for 1989 and probably long before then, it's pretty primitive here. Mind you, there are some nice backgrounds, such as the Dream Country one and the BFG's dream cave with all the colourful lights, and music that really fits these scenes. This intrigued me in a unique way as a kid, and I guess it still did during my most recent viewing to a certain extent. The voice acting is good for the most part (even if it's not great), and the BFG is a likable character, with David Jason providing a voice that fits him. The screenplay may seem a little rushed at first, but overall, it's an entertaining and sometimes exciting adventure. There's even a song about frobscottle and the flatulence it causes, and while this part is a little juvenile, I can't deny that the "Whizzpopping" song is catchy. There's another song in the film called "Sometimes, Secretly" featured in the flying scene in Dream Country. I felt that the movie could have done without this song. It's like a radio-friendly pop ballad, and as such, it seemed out of place to me, but fortunately, that's just one part of the film.
This piece of animation certainly isn't the most famous Roald Dahl adaptation, and it seems to be a polarizing one. It's fairly faithful to the book for the most part, but some parts are obviously left out, and some liberties are taken, especially with the ending. It has clearly disappointed some fans of the children's novel, and that often happens with film adaptations of books. However, even though I now think this adaptation of "The BFG" is inferior to the book it's based on, after reading it and watching this again (I know many people would agree), and it could have been better in more than one way, I certainly don't think the film is an insult to Dahl and his novel. Some viewers obviously wouldn't like this animated movie at all (I think it's more fun for kids than adults, judging by my latest viewing compared to the previous times I watched it, all over a decade earlier), and it might not help if they've read the book first, but even if that's the case, this adaptation still COULD be at least somewhat fun.
Not great, but decent
Atreyu_II21 April 2011
This is an animated film based on a Roald Dahl tale. It's nothing too special, nevertheless a decent alternative to other more popular animated movies.
The character Sophie is cute and endearing and the best drawn character of the movie. Most of the characters are ugly, particularly the giants. The "BFG" of the title means "Big Friendly Giant" and refers to the movie's only good giant. The others are vicious.
The BFG is like a giant "E.T.". Not that he looks any similar to E.T. but, just like E.T., his beauty is on the inside. Yes, because as for the outside...
The evil giants are horrifying and gross, being Bloodbottler the most extreme on this. Fleshlumpeater is the biggest and scariest, but somehow he doesn't gross me out as much as the other mean giants.
There is some nice soundtrack and the artwork is generally very good, with some magical special effects and some more special visuals in certain scenes.
The story, without being "solid as a rock", is however entertaining and involving. A rather decent story, fair to say that. And it's easy to sympathize with the BFG and especially Sophie. There are some rather touching moments with Sophie and her friend giant.
I rate this as a 6. I guess it's a fair rating.
The character Sophie is cute and endearing and the best drawn character of the movie. Most of the characters are ugly, particularly the giants. The "BFG" of the title means "Big Friendly Giant" and refers to the movie's only good giant. The others are vicious.
The BFG is like a giant "E.T.". Not that he looks any similar to E.T. but, just like E.T., his beauty is on the inside. Yes, because as for the outside...
The evil giants are horrifying and gross, being Bloodbottler the most extreme on this. Fleshlumpeater is the biggest and scariest, but somehow he doesn't gross me out as much as the other mean giants.
There is some nice soundtrack and the artwork is generally very good, with some magical special effects and some more special visuals in certain scenes.
The story, without being "solid as a rock", is however entertaining and involving. A rather decent story, fair to say that. And it's easy to sympathize with the BFG and especially Sophie. There are some rather touching moments with Sophie and her friend giant.
I rate this as a 6. I guess it's a fair rating.
Slightly disappointed
davidcook4729 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
It seems that Roald Dahl's books are never going to be faithfully made into films. Considering that this is a cartoon, there are some rather obvious differences to the book. The snozzcumbers have changed from black and white, several feet long cucumbers into black and red aubergines. The man-eating giants were supposed to be heavily tanned - due to lying around in a baking sun. The cartoon gives them greenish skin. Then they use the "Jack" dream chapter from the book as a cliffhanger ending. Then in "Witches" style, they change the end entirely. The book has the BFG stay in England (living in a large house next to Buckingham Palace) and with a pet elephant for him to ride. Sending him back to Giant land is an unnecessary plot point. I'm a huge fan of Dahl's books and would prefer his genius to remain untampered. Sadly, filmmakers don't see it that way. Next time a Dahl book is picked for filming, have someone who respects the book.
80's animation breathes life into a Sunday morning
andyflight13 November 2006
This film is a real 80's delight. I rediscovered it while watching it with my kids. It's so much of it's time. There's an innocence in the animation and story. Nobody questions why a big creepy giant would want to hang around with a little girl. Which is is great!! The times we live in are so paranoid this film makes us remember why we all need a granddad figure of out own.
David Jason's performance as the BFG is remarkable. At first I didn't realise it was him. I think he gives it that extra something that really shines through.
The beginning was really Richard William's like, with the cloaked giant running through the streets. It makes me realise how good Cosgrove Hall could be. It would be fun to check out more of their stuff again. Especaily Danger Mouse.
David Jason's performance as the BFG is remarkable. At first I didn't realise it was him. I think he gives it that extra something that really shines through.
The beginning was really Richard William's like, with the cloaked giant running through the streets. It makes me realise how good Cosgrove Hall could be. It would be fun to check out more of their stuff again. Especaily Danger Mouse.
The BFG
jboothmillard8 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Following from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Danny the Champion of the World, this was the third feature length adaptation of one of the works of the great Roald Dahl, and the first to be a cartoon, from the creators of Danger Mouse and Count Duckula. Basically young orphan girl Sophie (Amanda Root) is taken from the orphanage, run by cantankerous and abusive Mrs. Clonkers (Myfanwy Talog) by a cloaked giant she sees blowing a trumpet into a bedroom window across the street. Sophie is taken to Giant Country, and into the cave of the giant (Sir David Jason), he tells that all other giants are eating children, but he is a nice giant, he is the Big Friendly Giant, the BFG, he will only eat the disgusting tasting "Snozzcumber". The BFG explains that he took Sophie to stop her telling others that she saw a giant, they are suddenly interrupted by the Bloodbottler Giant (Don Henderson) who overheard talking, he is eventually repelled from the cave by being tricked into eating Snozzcumber, Sophie hiding in it is almost swallowed before he spat her out. While cleaning herself, the BFG tells Sophie about his job of blowing dreams into the bedrooms of children, when she asks for a drink he treats her to a taste of fizzy drink "Frobscottle", its bubbles go downwards, causing the drinker flatulation, or "whizzpopping" as BFG says, and to soar. The next morning, the BFG takes Sophie to Dream Country to catch more dreams, on the way the other giants torment him, notably by the Fleshlumpeater Giant (Don Henderson), the largest and most fearsome. In Dream Country, the BFG shows his skill for dream-catching, Sophie joins him floating, but they are forced to go back to his Dream Cave when he catches a nightmare, or a "Trogglehumper", his cave is surrounded by hundreds of colourful dreams, all labelled to be mixed together to make stories for children. The BFG demonstrates his dream-blowing duties, Sophie watches with joy as children are made happy with their dreams, but they are interrupted and hide when the Fleshlumpeater has come to eat children, the BFG runs, leaving the giant to devour a child. Hearing that the giants have been talking about eating children in a school, Sophie comes up with a plan for the BFG to make a dream to blow into the bedroom of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Angela Thorne), following the nightmare the Queen meets Sophie, meets the BFG, and believes their story. Following a meeting with the Head of the Army (Ballard Berkeley) and the Head of the Air Force (Michael Knowles), a fleet of Chinook helicopters to follow the BFG to Giant Country to capture the nine giants; also including the Manhugger, the Meatdripper, the Childchewer, the Butcher Boy, the Maidmasher, the Bonecruncher and the Gizzardgulper. The Fleshlumpeater is the only giant left loose, he attacks the BFG, before going after Sophie, he is stopped by the BFG blowing a nightmare dream, about Jack, the famous giant killer, cutting down his beanstalk, this is the only things giants, including the BFG himself, fear. In the end the giants are dropped into a large metal pit, and will be forced to eat Snozzcumbers from now on, Sophie has the opportunity to live in Buckingham Palace where they will create a new home for orphaned children, while the BFG must return to blow dreams, but Sophie wishes to remain with the BFG, and they go back to Giant Country together. Jason gives a great light-hearted voice with plenty of "gobblefunk" (his language with mixed and muddled words) to the lovable gigantic friend to the sweet little girl voiced by Root, and it is animated well enough, it does have it's slightly slow spots, but for the songs "Whizzpopping" and "Sometimes, Secretly", the adorable friendship and the nice simple story, it is good fun for all the family, a very pleasant animated fantasy. It was nominated the BAFTA TV Award for Best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama). Worth watching!
The best film ever, when you're about 7!
vix626 December 2003
All I can say is that i used to love this film when I was little! I thought it was brill! Watching it a couple of months ago I spoiled it cos it's not that good when you're older. It's based on the book by Roald Dahl and the book is much better but I think you could say that about most films which are based on books! Worth watching if you're a small child (which I very much doubt you are)(he he), otherwise i'd read the book (whatever age you are!)
Well meaning but uninspired
GazHack31 August 2000
It's hard to actively dislike this adaptation but compared to the funny and grotesque novel by Roald Dahl, there's a definitely a lack of energy to the film. It's all very well scrubbed and nicely behaved, lacking the bite that the best versions of his children's books have, such as "Matilda" or "The Witches". The film was originally made for TV and sadly the animation has a decidedly flat look. There's no real sense of danger, even when the brutish man eating giants are on screen. Vocal work is effective but no one stands out. A pity because the Cosgrove Hall company has produced some of the funniest, most iconoclastic cartoons ever put on UK TV. So watch some Count Duckula or Dangermouse instead to appreciate their talents.
One of the best movie adaptations of a Roald Dahl book
Stompgal_8717 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I loved reading Roald Dahl's novels when I was younger, especially Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I also liked the film adaptations of some of them (most notably 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' plus the 2005 remake, 'Matilda,' 'James and the Giant Peach' and this one, 'The BFG'). I had this on video as a child, rented the DVD when I was 18 and watched it on YouTube for the first time in eight years earlier today.
Although the character animation was often flickery and sometimes slow, the backgrounds were well-drawn and the scenery of Dream Country was absolutely beautiful. The story was mostly faithful to the book, albeit Sophie having short red hair instead of long blonde hair as shown in the book illustrations, but I found the climax where several helicopters drop the mean human-eating giants in the pit forgettable. In spite of this, most of the scenes are memorable and the Bloodbottler entering the BFG's cave startled me today and it also scared my brother when he was 16 and watching this film with me when I rented it. The standout scenes were those involving Sophie being snatched from her orphanage by the BFG and the BFG showing her around his cave, offering her some Snozzcumber and Frobscottle (leading to the scatological yet funny Whizzpopper scene), making her a new dress and making a little boy (who has a Danger Mouse poster on his wall if you look closely) dream of becoming invisible when pressing his belly button and frightening his teacher. The music was full of charm and tension, even though some of it had late 80s written all over it, and I liked the Whizzpopper song and the dreamy 'Sometimes, Secretly.' As for the dialogue, the BFG's was the funniest due to it being grammatically incorrect and containing hybrid words. When I saw this as a child, I cried towards the end when the BFG said goodbye to Sophie and she wanted to be with him forever and always. Even though I didn't cry at that scene earlier today, I still found it a touching way to end the film.
Like 'Igor (which I enjoyed even more second time around),' this is another film where I increased my rating due to finding it a nostalgic delight that was worth a re-visit after several years. 9/10.
Although the character animation was often flickery and sometimes slow, the backgrounds were well-drawn and the scenery of Dream Country was absolutely beautiful. The story was mostly faithful to the book, albeit Sophie having short red hair instead of long blonde hair as shown in the book illustrations, but I found the climax where several helicopters drop the mean human-eating giants in the pit forgettable. In spite of this, most of the scenes are memorable and the Bloodbottler entering the BFG's cave startled me today and it also scared my brother when he was 16 and watching this film with me when I rented it. The standout scenes were those involving Sophie being snatched from her orphanage by the BFG and the BFG showing her around his cave, offering her some Snozzcumber and Frobscottle (leading to the scatological yet funny Whizzpopper scene), making her a new dress and making a little boy (who has a Danger Mouse poster on his wall if you look closely) dream of becoming invisible when pressing his belly button and frightening his teacher. The music was full of charm and tension, even though some of it had late 80s written all over it, and I liked the Whizzpopper song and the dreamy 'Sometimes, Secretly.' As for the dialogue, the BFG's was the funniest due to it being grammatically incorrect and containing hybrid words. When I saw this as a child, I cried towards the end when the BFG said goodbye to Sophie and she wanted to be with him forever and always. Even though I didn't cry at that scene earlier today, I still found it a touching way to end the film.
Like 'Igor (which I enjoyed even more second time around),' this is another film where I increased my rating due to finding it a nostalgic delight that was worth a re-visit after several years. 9/10.
A Faithful adaptation
tomco8417 April 2002
When I first saw this film I must have been about eight and loved it! It made me laugh and due to the fantastic writing talents of Roald Dahl I can still remember the storyline. The film remains faithful to the book, something most Dahl adaptations fail to do, (eg. the witches in while being a great film has a different ending to the book) and the animation, while not being up to todays standards, doesn't interfere with the viewing of the film. David Jason's unique voice (Count Duckular) is memorable in this role as the BFG. Overall I would say this was a fantastic family film, definately aimed at children but true to the book which is something any 5-12 year old Dahl fan will love.
A brilliant Roald Dahl book falls curiously flat in this animated adaptation.
barnabyrudge19 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The BFG is one of Roald Dahl's most cherished books, but in this animated adaptation the magic just isn't there. This version remains pretty faithful to Dahl's original story so one can't lay the blame on John Hambley's script. If anything the fault lies with the colourless animation, the lethargic pace and the generally lacklustre voice-overs. One would be right to expect this story to make for a happy, vibrant, fun-filled movie..... instead, the film is a hopelessly dull affair that becomes quite tedious to watch. Children who are not familiar with the story should definitely read the book first! All the film will achieve is to put them off read what is actually a children's' classic.
Young orphan Sophie (voice of Amanda Root) lives in a none-too-friendly orphanage under the cruel supervision of Mrs Clonkers. One evening she is peering through the window when she spots a massive figure walking stealthily down the village street. The figure realises it has been seen, so it reaches in through the window and scoops Sophie from her bed, placing her into its enormous pocket before fleeing into the night. Sophie soon discovers that she has been kidnapped by a giant from Giant Country, and fears that he will eat her. But to her relief he turns out to be a kind and sensitive member of his species who introduces himself as the BFG (voice of David Jason). The BFG refuses to eat people, instead restricting himself to foul-tasting vegetables known as snozzcumbers. However, Giant Country is populated by numerous other giants who DO feast - every night, as it happens - on poor unsuspecting humans. Sophie and the BFG become great friends, and soon they come up with a plan to thwart the other giants. Together they go to the Queen of England (voice of Angela Thorne) with their remarkable story and beg her to send the army and the air force to fight the man-eating giants. The Queen agrees and so begins a dangerous operation to capture the bad giants before they can harm anyone else.
Jason voices the BFG quite well (one of the few pluses in the film) but his good work is almost ruined by somewhat poor sound quality. The rest of the voice work is decidedly uninspired, with very little to bring the characters to life. Similarly, the BFG is the only character that is imaginatively animated - Sophie lacks appeal, and the giants are boringly designed (and look almost indistinguishable from each other). Even the places are uninventive; Giant Country especially comes up short, being nothing more than a barren wasteland with occasional rocks and canyons. At 88 minutes the film is not exactly lengthy, yet it drags quite badly in parts due to the soporific handling of several sequences. Little of Dahl's mischievous humour is conveyed satisfactorily. One chapter in the book deals with the BFG's love of "whizzpopping" (farting) and is laugh-out-loud hilarious. In the film, the same section is totally killed by unfunny handling. I came to the The BFG expecting lots of zest, fun and enjoyment, but what I got was pretty much the opposite! This one is a failed misfire that simply doesn't match the calibre of the book in any department - unfortunately, therefore, it must go down as one to skip.
Young orphan Sophie (voice of Amanda Root) lives in a none-too-friendly orphanage under the cruel supervision of Mrs Clonkers. One evening she is peering through the window when she spots a massive figure walking stealthily down the village street. The figure realises it has been seen, so it reaches in through the window and scoops Sophie from her bed, placing her into its enormous pocket before fleeing into the night. Sophie soon discovers that she has been kidnapped by a giant from Giant Country, and fears that he will eat her. But to her relief he turns out to be a kind and sensitive member of his species who introduces himself as the BFG (voice of David Jason). The BFG refuses to eat people, instead restricting himself to foul-tasting vegetables known as snozzcumbers. However, Giant Country is populated by numerous other giants who DO feast - every night, as it happens - on poor unsuspecting humans. Sophie and the BFG become great friends, and soon they come up with a plan to thwart the other giants. Together they go to the Queen of England (voice of Angela Thorne) with their remarkable story and beg her to send the army and the air force to fight the man-eating giants. The Queen agrees and so begins a dangerous operation to capture the bad giants before they can harm anyone else.
Jason voices the BFG quite well (one of the few pluses in the film) but his good work is almost ruined by somewhat poor sound quality. The rest of the voice work is decidedly uninspired, with very little to bring the characters to life. Similarly, the BFG is the only character that is imaginatively animated - Sophie lacks appeal, and the giants are boringly designed (and look almost indistinguishable from each other). Even the places are uninventive; Giant Country especially comes up short, being nothing more than a barren wasteland with occasional rocks and canyons. At 88 minutes the film is not exactly lengthy, yet it drags quite badly in parts due to the soporific handling of several sequences. Little of Dahl's mischievous humour is conveyed satisfactorily. One chapter in the book deals with the BFG's love of "whizzpopping" (farting) and is laugh-out-loud hilarious. In the film, the same section is totally killed by unfunny handling. I came to the The BFG expecting lots of zest, fun and enjoyment, but what I got was pretty much the opposite! This one is a failed misfire that simply doesn't match the calibre of the book in any department - unfortunately, therefore, it must go down as one to skip.
Blast from the past <3
vthompsett4 October 2023
I remember this film from when I was very little; while some of the animation hasn't quite held up over time, the story is of course perfect and the acting is superb. David Jason is "my" BFG and I'll never forget how much I loved watching this film as a small child. The story really is brought to life and it doesn't feel sanitised - the 'eye' of the BFG's journey into Giant Country is still weird and eerie, while the nastier giants remain terrifying! The BFG's dream-catching remains enchanting and the smaller details such as the clocks used to make a table are so appreciated. While it looks a little worse for wear, you really can't beat this for a wonderful, true adaptation of the original story, with a lot of heart.
Not without charm, but extremely dated
tomgillespie200219 September 2015
I never saw the 1989 film adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book The BFG when I was growing up, and I don't know whether or not that's a good thing. On one hand, I could have enjoyed the film as a nostalgic trip down memory lane, yet I could have also been horrified at just how badly the film has aged. I did, however, read the book as a young nipper, along with other Dahl classics such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, so I'm familiar with just how good a word-smith Dahl was, and how he managed to forge these often creepy and macabre tales into something that children could enjoy without being too terrified.
Brian Cosgrove's adaptation, for all its sporadic charm, has faded into obscurity since its 1989 release with good reason. Beginning at an orphanage run by the nasty Mrs. Clonkers (Myfanwy Talog), young girl Sophie (Amanda Root) sees the outline of a gigantic figure blowing a trumpet through the window of a house down the road. Before she has a chance to scream, she is grabbed by a huge fist and whisked away to another land inhabited by grotesque giants who feed on children. Lucky for her, she was taken by the Big Friendly Giant (David Jason), who is the only vegetarian giant in his world, and whose day job it is to blow happy dreams into the minds of sleeping children. But with the knowledge of the rest of the giants gobbling up scores of children, Sophie hatches a plan with the BFG to notify the Queen of England (Angela Thorne) and put a stop to the evil giants for good.
The first twenty minutes or so of The BFG is actually quite delightful, as we meet the lovable lunk and learn of his diet of the disgusting snozzcumbers, and he is wonderfully voiced by national treasure David Jason. The song 'Whizzpopping' isn't particularly good or catchy, but there is a giddy delight to be had with watching the BFG and Sophie farting with glee. Yet, without Dahl's written narrative, the film quickly becomes tedious and the story grinds to a near-halt. Cosgrove Hall - set up by director Cosgrove and his friend Mark Hall - animated countless children's TV adaptations from the 1970's up until its demise is 2009, but the animation here is stodgy. There were obvious budget constraints and this shows in the backgrounds, which are often so bland ad static it drains the film visually. It has its charms, especially if you grew up in Britain, but I would stick with the beloved book.
Brian Cosgrove's adaptation, for all its sporadic charm, has faded into obscurity since its 1989 release with good reason. Beginning at an orphanage run by the nasty Mrs. Clonkers (Myfanwy Talog), young girl Sophie (Amanda Root) sees the outline of a gigantic figure blowing a trumpet through the window of a house down the road. Before she has a chance to scream, she is grabbed by a huge fist and whisked away to another land inhabited by grotesque giants who feed on children. Lucky for her, she was taken by the Big Friendly Giant (David Jason), who is the only vegetarian giant in his world, and whose day job it is to blow happy dreams into the minds of sleeping children. But with the knowledge of the rest of the giants gobbling up scores of children, Sophie hatches a plan with the BFG to notify the Queen of England (Angela Thorne) and put a stop to the evil giants for good.
The first twenty minutes or so of The BFG is actually quite delightful, as we meet the lovable lunk and learn of his diet of the disgusting snozzcumbers, and he is wonderfully voiced by national treasure David Jason. The song 'Whizzpopping' isn't particularly good or catchy, but there is a giddy delight to be had with watching the BFG and Sophie farting with glee. Yet, without Dahl's written narrative, the film quickly becomes tedious and the story grinds to a near-halt. Cosgrove Hall - set up by director Cosgrove and his friend Mark Hall - animated countless children's TV adaptations from the 1970's up until its demise is 2009, but the animation here is stodgy. There were obvious budget constraints and this shows in the backgrounds, which are often so bland ad static it drains the film visually. It has its charms, especially if you grew up in Britain, but I would stick with the beloved book.
Wonderful film
GreyJug14 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The only reasons I haven't given this film 10 out of 10 is because the scene where Sophie and the BFG watch dreams is a bit too short despite being a lovely scene which I think should be longer than it is and there is a tiny part of this film which I don't like. But this film is still a brilliant and excellent movie. It has good animation which is nice to look at and is a film about dreams which I think is a very interesting subject. The acting in this film is good and it doesn't change too much from the book it is based on, so it is a faithful adaptation of that book. However it does make the BFG slightly nicer than he is in the book, which is a good change because he is slightly too unkind in the book. The songs in this film are catchy but not corny, and this film has a happy feeling to it. The music in this film is good for this film and good in general and this film is funny. The characters in this film who are meant to be likeable are. The BFG is sometimes unkind but it wouldn't be true enough to the book if he was never unkind, and the characters in this film who are meant to be hated are very good villains. I like how this film has a happy ending and a clever storyline, for example it is a very clever idea for the Queen to become convinced that giants are eating children because she has dreamt it and part of her dream becomes true.
Not perfect but still pretty good
nilanna99917 June 2013
Roald Dahl's books are often victims of horrible screen writing and I feared the BFG would be the same kind of movie but I shouldn't have worried. I've read The BFG several times but didn't see this movie until recently. I heard that Roald Dahl himself even liked this adaptation and I can certainly see why. It's very faithful to the book. Of course, it's a little campy since it's a product of the late 80s but somehow that adds to its charm. I found this film highly enjoyable, keeping a similar tone to Dahl's writing and adapting it for the screen very well. I would definitely recommend this movie to those who had read the book but if you haven't, it's still a decent movie. There's talk of a remake which I think could also be good and I'm glad for it because it might make people notice this movie. Like I said in the title, it's not a perfect film but it's good.
Okay
raptor_mimicat26 November 2001
Well, you really can't expect much from a movie that has a song about flatulence(really!I hardly could believe it myself! Flying around because of it, geez..). it really was just okay, something kids can enjoy, but will probably annoy anyone older than 10. it is cute, however, but this isn't the perfect family film for kids under 4 because of some big scary giants. As I said, when a movie has a song about flatulence, it is really meant for little kids.
Absolutely outstanding!
kadycoc28 February 2021
Its a timeless classic that never grows old! Its a novela heavily based on the "The BFG" by Roald Dahl. Typically a film meant for children, however any age can enjoy this incredible masterpiece! With graphics beyond its time, if you haven't already watched it you're missing out. I highly recommend you give it a watch and read the book while your at it!
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